Refrigerator shelf



Sept. 24, 1940. y RH, MONEY 2,215,931

REFRIGERATOR SHELF Filed Oct. 6. 1938 l IN VE NTOR,

joz. @No H MONEK m Mq@ ATTORNEYS,

Patented septal, 1940 REFBIGERATOR SHELF Roland l1. Money, Cincinnati, Ohio, assigner to e The corporation of Ohio Crosley ,Oorporatiom Cincinnati, Ohio, a

Application october s, 193s, serial No. 233.635 1 claim. (ol. 2x1-153) This invention relates to a refrigerator shelf or the Shelves made according to this invention are, of course, adaptable to many uses, but I have chosen specifically to describe a shelf 5 which is suitable for use in a modern refrigerator. y

In the past such shelves have generally been made from round wire which'was hot dipped in tin. This construction was subject to several disadvantages among which were the fact that the round wires did not make a steady base for receptacles which were placed on the shelf, and furthermore in round wires there is only line contact between the shelf members and the vesll sels resting thereupon, so that greater wear ensues. l' Y It is an object of my invention to provide a refrigerator or other 'shelf made from members of rectangular cross section so as to provide not only for more evenly distributed wear but also for y a better supporting surface for vessels to be placed thereupon. Another object of my invention includes provision for nishing such an article whereby the finish achieved is very durable under the conditions of cold and moisturev which are encountered in refrigerators.

A still further object is to provide an article which is exceedingly simple and inexpensive.

These and other objects of my invention which will be pointed out in more detail hereinafter,

f or which will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts and by that series of method steps of which I shall now describe exemplary embodiments.

Referenceds now made "to the drawing forming a part hereof and in which:

' Figure 1 is a plan view of a shelf according to 40 my invention. 1

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. l.

Fig. 4 is a partial enlarged section taken on the line l-I of Fig. l.

Fig. 5 is a greatlyl enlarged partial section on the line 4 0 of Fig. l, showing the enameled and baked article.

Briefly, in the practice of my invention I provide a framework of generally rectangular shape.

Although this could be made from a single piece of metal, I prefer to` make it of two pieces indicated respectively at I0 and II and welded together at Illa.4 and Ila. As clearly shown/in Fig.

3, the members I0 and Il are o f angle cross vide a plurality of grid members Il. These elements are downwardly offset as indicated at I la so as to t under the angles I0 and Il, and they are spot welded to said angles -as indicated at Mb. They are also spot welded to the bracing l5 member I3 as indicated at 13a. It will thusbe seen that I have provided a very strong and `rigid shell. member the top surface of which is made up of a plurality of members whose top surfaces. are all in the same plane'so that a 20 steadysupporting.- surface o'f relatively large bearing area is provided.

In finishing this tray I adopt the following procedure. First, I plate thereon, preferably electrically, a very thin coating of zinc of the 25 order of .0005 inch. Generally I have found a coating of a thickness between. .0005 and .0007 inch preferable. It should be understood that these dimensional units are'not critical but serve to indicate the order of the thickness of the coating. I -then subject the tray to a bonderizing operation which involves chemically cleaning with hot water, chromic acid etc. This bonderizing operation in and of itself forms no part oi' my invention. Thereupon a prime coat of enam- 35 el is applied all over to every exposed surface of the tray, and the tray is then baked at a temperature and for a time ranging respectively from 400 degrees F. to 380 degrees F. and lfrom thirty minutes to forty-five minutes. Here 40 again', it should be understood that these times and temperatures are intended to be indicative of theorder of times and temperatures rather than to be limitations.

I then apply a finished coat of enamel, pref' 45 erably an enamelknown in the trade as white Dulux. although it should be understood that any enamel will serve. I then again bake the article at a temperature of the order of 295 degrees F. for a time of the order of sixty minutes. so As shown in Fig. 5, the various structural parts will be covered on all sides with a coating of enamel indicated -at I5, and the resulting tray has a very pleasing appearance andI has great durabiuty. x y

It should be understood that various modificasecured underneath the axialer at opposed sides tions may be made without departing from the of said frame, and grid members of a thickness spirit of my invention, and that I do not intend equal to the web thickns of said frame memto limit myself otherwise than as pointed out in ber extending across said frame in a direction 5 the claim which follows. substantially normal to said bracing member 5 Having now fully described my invention, what passing thereover and secured thereto, said grid.

I claim as'new and desire to secure by Letters members being downwardly offset at their ends Patent is: to fit under said angles and being secured there- A shelf for refrigerators and the like cornto whereby the upper surfaces of said grid mem- 10 prising a frame member of angular cross section bers and said framey member are in the same 10 formed into generally rectangular shape, a bracplane. f ing member of recta ar cross section extend- ROLAND H. MONEY. ing substantially ce across said frame and 

